Publisher: Dundurn Press (June 18, 2024) Category: Historical Fiction, African American Historical Fiction, Women’s Literature Tour Dates September 10-October 3, 2024 ISBN: 978-1459752771 Available in Print and ebook, 306 pages
Description What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
An enchanting telling of the complex and fascinating life of real-life Luisa Abrego of Seville, who forges a new life after freedom from slavery in colonial Mexico and gets caught in the far-reaching Spanish Inquisition.
Luisa Abrego, a slave in Seville, is set free upon her master’s death and marries a white man. After boarding Luisa’s illegitimate child with the nuns of St. Clare, the couple sets out for Mexico. There Luisa is accused of bigamy and tried in the court of the Inquisition.
The narratives here are not Luisa’s own. They are those of witnesses who encountered her: housewives, nuns, miners, lawyers, inquisitors. These are European voices, in whose accounts, a fractured portrait of a fascinating and complex woman emerges, like glimpses of a figure moving past a mirror.
Based on 16th century trial records of the real Luisa, this novel is not just one woman’s life in fragments, but a carefully researched imagining, told in vivid, distinct voices, of how the Inquisition affected the Spanish colonies.
Review What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
“I wondered how the alumbrados would fare under the watchful eye of that court of justice once it started operating in Mexico – not much better, I warrant, than under the Spanish institution whose judgment they fled.”
A fascinating look at a very controversial time in history, ‘What They Said About Luisa,’ takes the life of a real woman, Luisa Abrego and gives a realistic take on what the people around her might have felt. Each chapter of this novel is told from a different perspective – one person who was affected by Luisa Abrego, the former slave who became a free woman and traveled to the new world.
Luisa first learned about the concept of bigamy after traveling to Mexico with her new husband, and began to fear that she was guilty of it, herself. See, Luisa had been proposed to by another young man shortly after she was granted her freedom at the death of her master. Although the two were not married in practice, the Catholic church’s rules for marriage essentially said that they were married in spirit. Luisa gave herself over to the Spanish Inquisition for trial, essentially leaving her fate in the hands of God.
Obviously, I’m not going to spoil the ending of the book, but with a writer like Ericka Rummel, even a story that you may have heard before becomes something new and exciting!
I have read four of Rummel’s other works, The ‘Loneliness of the Time Traveler,’ ‘Evita and Me,’ ‘The Inquisitor’s Niece,’ and ‘Head Games.’ Every one enthralled me. Rummel has such a talent for storytelling – particularly in historical fiction – that I find myself thrilled whenever I get the opportunity to read one of her novels! I can’t wait to find out what she has in store for us next!
About Erika Rummel
Award winning author, Erika Rummel is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books and ten novels. Her tenth novel, ‘’What They Said About Luisa’ was published on June 18, 2024..
She won the Random House Creative Writing Award (2011) for a chapter from ‘The Effects of Isolation on the Brain’ and The Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association’ Award for Best Historical Novel, in 2018. She is the recipient of a Getty Fellowship and the Killam Award.
Erika grew up in Vienna, emigrated to Canada and obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto. She taught at Wilfrid Laurier and U of Toronto. She divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles and has lived in Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Giveaway What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
This giveaway is for 1 print copy or 1 pdf copy. Print is open to the U.S. only. eBook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on October 3, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
Publisher: Dundurn Press (June 18, 2024) Category: Historical Fiction, African American Historical Fiction, Women’s Literature Tour Dates September 10-October 3, 2024 ISBN: 978-1459752771 Available in Print and ebook, 306 pages
Description What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
An enchanting telling of the complex and fascinating life of real-life Luisa Abrego of Seville, who forges a new life after freedom from slavery in colonial Mexico and gets caught in the far-reaching Spanish Inquisition.
Luisa Abrego, a slave in Seville, is set free upon her master’s death and marries a white man. After boarding Luisa’s illegitimate child with the nuns of St. Clare, the couple sets out for Mexico. There Luisa is accused of bigamy and tried in the court of the Inquisition.
The narratives here are not Luisa’s own. They are those of witnesses who encountered her: housewives, nuns, miners, lawyers, inquisitors. These are European voices, in whose accounts, a fractured portrait of a fascinating and complex woman emerges, like glimpses of a figure moving past a mirror.
Based on 16th century trial records of the real Luisa, this novel is not just one woman’s life in fragments, but a carefully researched imagining, told in vivid, distinct voices, of how the Inquisition affected the Spanish colonies.
Praise For What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
Bookbub: listed among 10 best historical fiction books of 2024
“A deep dive into 16th century Spain and Mexico, during the dangerous times of the Spanish Inquisition, superbly crafted by an experienced historical novelist. A must read.”-Pam Royl, author of The Last Secret
“Rummel’s whole novel is marvellous, full of wisdom, learning, and insight.”-Jonathan Locke Hart, historian, literary scholar, and poet
“a captivating and meticulously researched historical novel that offers a vivid and compelling portrayal of the life of Luisa Abrego, an emancipated woman who forges a new future for herself in colonial Mexico. an intriguing subject and narrative approach, making it a literary masterpiece that deserves to be cherished and experienced. Rummel’s storytelling is both enchanting and thought-provoking, as she weaves a complex and fascinating tale of Luisa’s life, from her emancipation in Seville to her journey to colonial Mexico. The author’s attention to historical detail and her carefully researched imagining of Luisa’s life bring the sixteenth-century setting to life, offering readers a rich and immersive reading experience.”-Trishita Das, GluedToBook
“Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. The characters are wonderfully flushed out and realized, and the history in it is vivid and ever-present. I would highly recommend this book.”- Colleen Earle, Goodreads
“an illuminating novel of historical fiction set in Seville, Spain during the 16th century and the Spanish Inquisition. Refreshing. Brilliantly told from multiple perspectives.”-Dizzy, Goodreads
Excerpt What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
Seville, 1575, Ana Rodriguez’ house
This morning Eugenia dropped in for a visit.
“My dear Ana,” she said, grasping my hand and kissing me on both cheeks. “You won’t believe what I just heard.” She paused and looked at me expectantly as if I could read her mind.
“Well, what have you heard?”
“Luisa is back from Mexico!”
“No! That little minx — she is back?”
“Yes, and she has opened a candle shop in San Bernardo.” Eugenia was breathless with excitement. “She must have struck it rich in Mexico.”
“If she’s got money, I bet she made it by selling her body,” I said, bile rising in my throat. “I hate that girl.”
“I don’t blame you,” Eugenia said. “After what she put you through. Or rather what your husband put you through– may his soul rest in peace — but that’s men for you. You give them everything, you bear them a son, and they cheat on you with a young girl, a mulatta by preference, because they say they are better at – well, I won’t say any more. All men are ingrates.”
I had known about the affair of course. Everyone did. A blind man couldn’t have missed what was going on between Diego and Luisa, but I thought: Let him have his fun with one of the house slaves. They don’t count. And they can be had for free. Better that way than spending his money in one of those houses of infamy and picking up some awful disease from a whore. Besides, God knows I had done my duty by him, and was tired of being pawed in bed when I would rather sleep. Only sometimes I think, if I had been more loving to Diego – but, no, it wasn’t my fault. Luisa knew how to rouse a man’s desire. She was only twelve or thirteen when Diego bought her, and already strutting her wares, her budding breasts and her mobile hips. A beautiful face, yes, but the devil within, and sneaky too, never said a word more than she had to, just looked at you with those large eyes full of hidden plots.
“I was prepared to overlook it for the sake of keeping the peace,” I said to Eugenia. “But what a shock when the lawyer read Diego’s last will to us!”
I still run hot and cold when I think that Diego left that girl a hundred ducats and set her free. A hundred ducats! Enough to buy a pair of mulattos. I still feel choked at the thought of my helpless jealousy and the indignity I had to suffer and that girl raking in a hundred ducats. Although it’s almost ten years ago that Diego died, the memory still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. How he carried on! To see him give Luisa a radiant smile and look through me as if I didn’t exist. My heart throbbed with pain. Some nights I cried myself to sleep. I was tired of his passions, yes, but I was not tired of love, and I missed his endearments.
Diego had been in the best of health until the day his horse shied and threw him off. He struck his head on a stone balustrade and split it open, spilling his life blood on the pavement. After the servants carried him into the house, he lived for two more days, and at the very end asked for Luisa to come and see him.
I was scandalized and had a good mind to defy him and refuse to fetch the girl, but my son said:
“Let it be, mother. Let the old man have his last bit of fun.”
So I asked the girl to go to Diego, trusting that he was too weak for any fun, although I wasn’t so sure about that, especially when I heard her singing in there.
She was with him for a good half hour, while I sat in the corridor with an aching heart, crying for shame because he preferred her to me even when he was staring death in the face. When she finally came out, I dug my fingers into her arm and gave it a yank.
“You hussy,” I said. “Singing in a dying man’s room!”
“He asked me to,” she said, looking at me in the mulish way those half-castes have.
All that went through my head when I heard Eugenia say that Luisa was back. I pulled myself together.
“That little chit!” I said. “She had a way of looking at men demurely from under her eyelashes — that’s how she trapped them.”
“Yes, there was something demure about her,” Eugenia said. “She was a very quiet girl, hardly ever said a word at all.”
“She was close-mouthed, alright. Didn’t give anything away,” I said.
“But you know what I remember about her? That her embroidery was superb, and that she made the most delicious quince preserves. I never could get my cook to produce the likes of it.”
“The quince preserve was good. I give you that,” I said.
“And, you must admit,” she went on, rubbing salt into my wounds, “Luisa was handy for entertaining your guests at a fiesta. Such a beautiful singing voice she had, and the way she danced the Zarabanda or the Chacona. There was something charming about that girl. And although she didn’t talk much, she was always pleasant and smiling, unlike the others, who are sullen and scowl at you when you tell them to do their work.”
“She was good at wiggling her rear end, you mean, and the men couldn’t take their eyes off her,” I said, impatient with Eugenia paying compliments to a hussy who didn’t deserve them.
That’s Ana Rodriguez’ point of view, but when you read on, you discover that other witnesses to Luisa’s life have widely diverging opinions of her. Some describe Luisa as shy or mysterious or even saintly. Others say that she was upright and courageous, and a loving wife and mother. I leave it to the reader to decide who understood her best and to answer the question: Who was Luisa?
(c) Erika Rummel
About Erika Rummel
Award winning author, Erika Rummel is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books and ten novels. Her tenth novel, ‘’What They Said About Luisa’ was published on June 18, 2024..
She won the Random House Creative Writing Award (2011) for a chapter from ‘The Effects of Isolation on the Brain’ and The Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association’ Award for Best Historical Novel, in 2018. She is the recipient of a Getty Fellowship and the Killam Award.
Erika grew up in Vienna, emigrated to Canada and obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto. She taught at Wilfrid Laurier and U of Toronto. She divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles and has lived in Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Giveaway What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
This giveaway is for 1 print copy or 1 pdf copy. Print is open to the U.S. only. eBook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on October 3, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
Publisher: Pronghorn Press, (May, 2024) Category: Historical Fiction, Western Fiction Tour dates: August 5-Sept 20, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-941052-72-3 Available in Print and ebook, 340 pages
Description Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes
When Hannah Brandt, who comes from a hardscrabble background in Ohio and Nebraska, first gets to ride a horse in 1895 at the age of 14, she realizes that there is no going back. . . Her destiny is to be a rodeo star and break new ground as a female bronco rider. She wins first place in a race at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo at 18, and soon she’s known by a new name: Sunny Gale.
Her marriage to her first husband, Luke Mangum, ends in divorce and she’s taken in by the Pickering clan, who are rodeo royalty. After she marries Tad Pickering, her star continues to rise as she and her spouse amaze crowds with “Roman Riding,” each of them standing astride two galloping horses.
When tragedy occurs, Sunny quits the clan and moves on. . . She finds a refuge in New Mexico with one-legged rancher Angus Laroche, who dispenses tough love. . . But her love life continues to be complicated, and the novel’s resolution sees her life come full circle, after a fashion.
This is a story of rodeos, marriages, sexism, and social mores—all churned together. . . A moving, memorable, and fully realized rodeo saga. Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Excerpt Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes
Zephira. That was the name she’d chosen
for her filly. In her book, one story told of how
Zephyr, the spring wind, had fallen in love with a
dancing white mare and, in time, their offspring
became the foundation of all the great and fast
horses that roamed the globe. In the illustration,
Zephyr and his mare watched as their plump colts
galloped away in all directions.
Here was one of the lost daughters: Zephira.
A demigoddess.
Hannah didn’t dare move, though she was
turning numb from cold. Blown sand collected
around the feed bucket. The filly’s mane lifted and
fell. She wouldn’t budge. Too many unfamiliar sounds
around the house and barn, the banging of loose
boards, the blades rattling on the windmill. She
stamped and whinnied.
Hannah understood.
Bring the bucket out here, where it’s safe.
That’s what Zephira demanded.
Hannah knew the filly had no fondness
for her; the bucket was their only connection. As
unendurable as these moments were, she knew
time was running out. If she didn’t catch that filly
within the next few days before the grass came up,
she’d never see her again. Zephira would drift off
beyond this homeplace in search of her brothers
and sisters and never return.
Hunger. Hunger was Hannah’s helper.
Hunger called to the filly better than Hannah
could. Zephira took two steps to the gate, then
stopped. Hannah’s pulse pounded in her ears.
Five paces more. The wind gusted, again. The filly
listened. And just like that she walked far enough
into the enclosure where the gate could be swung
shut behind her. She sniffed at Hannah. Hannah
nodded back. Yes, you know me, you can come in.
The filly snorted once before plunging her
muzzle into the bucket. Hannah slipped the blanket
off, crept around to the gate, and latched it.
Now what will you do, Hannah?
All her energies had been channeled into
this one moment. She hadn’t thought of what
would come next.
Tremain would come and she wouldn’t be
able to hide the filly from him. Another mouth to
feed, he would say.
Howling, pleading, throwing herself on the
ground—that would do the trick. Please let her
stay. I will care for her, then you can sell her and
get your money back for the feed. Surely, he would
agree when he saw how much it meant to her. For
all his rants, she still believed he loved her.
The bucket overturned. The filly was done.
She wheeled, walked back to the gate and found
her way barred. She nosed along the corral, probing
for the way out, every step quicker, more panicked.
She broke into a dead run and slammed into the
corner so hard she nearly fell over backwards. She
wheeled and tore the other way, slamming into
the next corner. Then she was running blindly, all
the while blasting her alarm, a racket heard over
the wind.
Hannah didn’t know what to do. Something
had to be done before the horse hurt herself. She
tried walking toward her. Please, please stop.
Zephira was too terrified by the enclosure to even
know that Hannah was there. Already, the skin
on her chest was bloody where she’d hit the rails.
Another slam and her injuries could get even worse.
With tears burning her eyes, Hannah
unlatched the gate, and the wind swung it wide
open. The filly found the open space and was gone.
“What in the hell?”
Hannah heard Tremain’s voice behind her.
She turned. Tremain had the Winchester with him.
“You heard me. What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been feeding that mustang, haven’t
you? I see the bucket there.”
“I thought I could tame her. I thought I’d
have a horse to ride.”
“You don’t even know how to ride, and that’s
not any kind of horse. All that is is a wild animal.”
“I’ve seen people ride. I can learn.”
“We don’t need you to ride. Better you tend
to your mother and see to her needs. This winter is
about to kill her, too.” He nodded to where the filly
had stopped to look back at them. “That animal is
starving. It’s kinder to end its misery.”
“No!”
“You’ve been teaching her to eat our feed,
feed for our cattle and horse. They don’t have
enough as it is. We could all die out here if this
weather doesn’t break. Don’t you see that? Your
foolish mind is still lost in some fairyland. When
will you grow up?”
Hannah dropped to her knees. “I won’t feed
her again, Tremain, I promise.”
“It’s too late. She already knows to come
here for food. She’ll come back, maybe even break
into the barn. Look, she’s not leaving now.”
And it was true. The filly hadn’t moved.
Praise Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes
“is a captivating rodeo saga bound to leave a lasting impression..filled with unforgettable characters and compelling narratives. Prepare to embark on an exhilarating journey as you dive into the captivating world of rodeo, filled with heart-pounding excitement and profound emotions. Get ready for the gripping narrative to sweep you off your feet and be prepared to fully immerse yourself in the magic of Sunny Gale.”-Suzie Housley, Midwest Book Reviews
“Though some of Hannah’s issues are specific to her time period, her saga serves as a poignant, timeless reminder of the complexities that lie beneath the surface of seemingly glamorous pursuits. Those who have an interest in historical fiction and historic women’s rights will find this book enlightening. It’s an eye-opening read and an evocative mixture of fact and fiction.”-Michaela Gordoni, City Review
“The transition of Hannah Brandt into Sunny Gale is a key component of the well-structured plot. Horseback riding is not just transportation so much as an escape.
Hannah(Sunny) is an extremely interesting character as she lives by her own rules and aspires to be the best. Yet her desire to push herself to the limit comes at the cost of more than a few relationships. Sunny Gale is a story about a woman who bucked social conventions, asserted her independence, and sacrificed much to satisfy her dreams. Author Jamie Lisa Forbes has written a truly engaging novel.”-Philip Zozzaro, City Book Reviews Tulsa
:”Sunny Gale is a wonderfully written story that is filled with action and wonderful family moments along the way as well as historical accuracy of the time period. Sunny is a very strong and interesting protagonist and shows that strength throughout the story.
Sunny Gale is exciting, well-written and developed, and will make the reader laugh and cry throughout. While this is the first book that I have read by this author, it will definitely not be the last. I was extremely impressed with the whole story and cannot wait to see what else is out there for my reading pleasure. I would highly recommend the story to all.
Quill says: Sunny Gale is a wonderful example of a story that will pull readers into a new world, in this case, one of rodeo riding and the entrance of women into the sport. With its wonderfully descriptive writing and historical accuracy, I am sure that it will be a great success and of interest to many.”-Kathy Stickles, Feathered Quill Book Reviews
Praise Jamie Lisa Forbes
“Unbroken is a powerful, absorbing book from the first page to the last. Forbes’ Wyoming ranch background adds rich flavors to the story. The author draws realistic, complex characters. Unbroken is an unvarnished testimonial to a way of life that few of us know.”– Mary E. Trimble, author of ‘ TUBOB: Two Years in West Africa with the Peace Corps’
“Eden gets kicked out of her house by her mother and shows up at Rowen’s house asking for a place to stay. They take her in and she becomes one of the likable characters in this book. I would recommend this book if your like to read about the deep south during the 50’s and later.”- Detweilermom, A Room Without Books Is Empty
“I suggest picking up Eden because it brings light to the past and in someways helps you understand the present. Every sentence had me clinging to each word as I read. Every word had me wanting to continue reading. I believe this author has done a beautiful job and look forward to reading more work in the near future. It is brilliantly sad.”- Amber, Imaginative Mama’s
About Jamie Lisa Forbes
Award winning author, Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a ranch in the Little Laramie Valley near Laramie, Wyoming. She attended the University of Colorado where she obtained degrees in English and philosophy. After fourteen months living in Israel, she returned to her family’s ranch where she lived for another fifteen years.
In 1994, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2001, she graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law and began her North Carolina law practice.
Her first novel, Unbroken, won the WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction in 2011. Her collection of short stories, The Widow Smalls and Other Stories, won the High Plains Book Awards for a short story collection in 2015.
Her novel about life in rural North Carolina entitled Eden was published in 2020.
Ms. Forbes continues to live—and write—in North Carolina
What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel
